This application is an improvement to the subject matter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,067, issued Nov. 15, 1988. FIGS. 1-10 and the portions of the text from column 1, line 7 to column 2, line 62; from column 3, line 7 to column 4, line 51; and from column 4, line 66 to column 5, line 18 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,067 are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The same subject matter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,681,041 and 4,753,175, respectively issued July 21, 1987 and June 28, 1988.
FIGS. 5-8 and the accompanying text of the above patents describe a rigid welded connection between the ends 210, 310 of the bar braces or tension members 200, 300 and the upper and lower joint reinforcement plates 220, 320. The plates 220, 320 are joined at the intersections of the columns 68 and the top chord 26 or center sill 24. In the field, this rigid connection between the ends 210, 310 and the plates 220, 320 has been found to fatigue the tension members unduly. As a result, the tension members 200 tend to crack adjacent to the termination of the welds joining them to the plates 220, 320. The object of the present invention is to solve this cracking problem.